had actually come to enjoy General Hospital apart from her son's portrayal. With the news of his firing, Cooney admitted that she was very conflicted about continuing to watch the series. Fans also reacted by creating a YouTube video montage of Garrett's time on GH titled, "Keep Drew Garrett." Garrett's costar, Maurice Benard voice his displeasure about Garrett's firing in an issue of Soaps In Depth but acknowledged that he would have no problem continuing with the story, and remarked that, "Sometimes, you have to put personal feelings aside." Duell later revealed in an interview that due to Benard still being upset about Garrett's firing, he put some distance between them. Later, Benard and Duell found some common ground and have since developed a friendship. Garrett later told Soaps In Depth that the reaction to his ousting gave him some closure and said it "was a really great run." Though he maintained contact with some costars, he does not watch the show. Duell said he expected to land a soap gig because he had auditioned for others but he was a bit shocked by the decision to recast. Though Michael can be seen as an infuriating teenager, Becca Thomas described Garrett's performance as "stellar" said that she actually rooted for Michael despite all the terrible decisions he made. "Garrett was a fantastic Michael" said Thomas. The younger characters had become very well rounded, and Garrett's ousting leaves viewers unsure about the direction. Soap Opera Digest described Morgan being recast so soon after Michael as "March Madness." Laura Wright said though Duell's portrayal of Michael is "100% different" but still good. Though she was close to Drew Garrett, she could not take it out on Chad because the decision was beyond his control. The news of Garrett's departure was one of the genre's biggest headlines during the year of 2010. In a review, Becca Thomas and Mallory Harlen said they were disappointed in Garrett's ousting considering his portrayal was one of the big reasons for them to watch. However, the article applauded Duell who proved that "lightning does strike twice." Duell was categorized as the Best Newcomer of the year. Thomas and Harlen praised Duell's performance during Michael's prison stint and possible rape. Rape storyline Though the potential storyline garnered the attention of many, some questioned if the show went too far in the storyline. Due to the rarity of television